Hydraulic stage meter



yM. H. coLLET HYDRAULIC STAGE METER Dec. 16, 1941o Filed Aug. 6, 1940 'INVENTORS MARJENH COLLET, L -'52 lATTORNEYSV i ifI IITLTPI ITLlTml S We ITITlITAIiWlJIWw F Patented Dec. 16, 1941 vHYD' R'Aigo STAGE METER Marjen H. Collet, Fort 'GollinaColor p Appiicaucn August 6, 1946, isra-Negig j "3 Claims.

(Granted under This application is made under the act of March 3, i883, as amended by the act of April 39,1928, and the invention herein described and claimed, if patented, may beV manufactured and used by or f-or the Government ot the Unitedl States of America for governmental purposes Without the payment to meV of any royalty thereon. Y

I hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of the people in the territory of the United States to take effect on the granting of a patent to me.

This invention relates to water gages and is more particularly concerned with a device for measuring static hydraulic heads.

An object of this invention is the provision of die act qf 3;. amende-a Amargo, 192s; 37oo.-G. 757) such a device which can indicate instantaneous` stages of a body of water and, also, the maXimum stage over a given period of time, in either placid or moving water.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in thel accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational View, Figure 2 a side elevational view without the metal guard, and Figure 3 an exploded view of the as sembly at the lower end of the tube I2. Figure 4 is a side View of the float and friction skirt assembly.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts, the device illustrated comprises a suitable mounting board I which may be of any suitable material, such as water-resistant lumber, non-corrosive metal, and so forth. This mounting board is also preferably streamlined from one edge to the other, so that when the instrument is used in moving water, false stages will not be created by turbulence about the instrument. On the front face of the instrument a longitudinal groove II is disposed to receive a piezometer tube I2. This tube is open at its lower end I3. The upper end of this tube is bent outwardly at right angles and drawn to a small orice I4. To the lower end I3 of the tube I2, there is connected another tube I5, preferably of metal. this tube I5 is connected to the end I3 of the piezometer tube by means of a water-proof coupling of any suitable type, such as a removable rubber collar I6. Between the tubes I2 and I5 there is disposed a wall I'I having an aperture I8 therethrough, the area of which is substantially less than the cross sectional area of the tube I2. The lower end of the tube I5 is provided with a bell-mouthed orice I9, which is turned in a vertical plane and set flush with the The upper end or ist, as

face of the mounting board- Ill, substantia-llyasy shown. n Y

Withinpthe tube I2 there is disposed the oat and friction -skirt'assembly illustrated in yligure et,A consisting of afloat 20 which may be made of` any suitable materialssuch as thin blown glass,

or light waterproof plastic, or any other highly buoyant material.- To thelfoot-01E the yfloatlll there is secured ay friction skirt-2l,.the function of which is normally to prevent the float 20 from descending while permitting it to rise in the tube I2v when buoyed upward. By these means the lmaximum stage of a body of Water under observation can be determined for any given period of time. The skirt 2l is preferably composed of soft rubber, the projecting arms 22 being ared, substantially as illustrated. The arms 22, as illustrated, are fashioned similar to the arms of a Maltese cross. However, any other suitable shape may be employed.

Under certain circumstances it may be desirable to employ a foot 23 at the bottom of the mounting board I0 to steady the instrument in shallow bodies of water, such as along the banks of rivers, Where the foot 23 vcan be driven into the ground near a tree or post and held in position. Adjacent to the tube I2 there is disposed a `scale 24 which may be calibrated in any suitable units for measuring the level of water stages.

To use the instrument, the oat with the friction skirt is forced to the bottom of the tube to rest on the diaphragm I'I. This may be accomplished by blowing into the aperture I4. The instrument is then set in a body of water. If the water is in motion the instrument should be set so as to take advantage of the streamlining of the mounting board I0 which normally would require the face of the device to be parallel to the direction of motion of the water. Water is admitted to the tube I2 through the orice I9 and as the water rises in the tube I2, it carries the float 20 with it. This float is provided with a water line mark 25 which is used as a line 0f reference with respect to the scale 24. Should the static head of the body of water decrease, the oat will remain at the highest point reached due to the friction between the skirt 2I and the inner Walls of the tube I2. At the same time, the elevation of the Water line below the float 20 will indicate the stages of the body of water at any particular time. By these means, therefore, the maximum stage reached by the body of water over any given period of time is indicated by the float 20.

The wall I1 not only prevents the oat 20 from falling out of the tube I2, but also prevents surging of the column of liquid in the tube l2. The removable rubber collar coupling I6 permits replacement of the float or skirt or the making of any necessary repairs thereof with ease.

If desired, a metal guard 26, shown, in Figure 1 only, may be placed around the tube I2 to prevent debris from injuring it.

Although, in the above description of my invention, particular reference was made to the measurement of bodies of Water, it is to be under-V stood that bodies of other fluids may be measured in Va similar manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: l

1. A uid stage indicator, comprising a vertical transparent tube, means for mounting said tube, including a streamlined mounting board,rmeans having a bell-shaped orifice disposed flush with the face of said board and connected to the bottom of said tube, said tube having an aperture near the top thereof, a Water `float disposed in said tube, means associated With said float to engage frictionally the inner Walls of said tube normally to prevent the oat from descending, While permitting it to rise in the tube, andrrneans, including a scale adjacent said tube, for determining different elevations of said float and of a column of liquid in said tube.

2. A fluid stage indicator, comprising a vertical transparent tube, means for mounting said tube,

including a streamlined mounting board, means having an orice disposed flush with the face of said board and connected to the bottom of said tube, said tube having an aperture near the top thereof, a oat disposed in said tube, means associated with said oat to engage frictionally the inner walls of said tube normally to prevent the iioat from descending, While permitting it to rise in the tube, means, including a scale adjacent said tube, for determining different elevations of said oat and of a column of liquid in said tube, and a perforated wall `between said orice and said tube.

3. A fluid stage indicator, comprising a vertical transparent tube, means for mounting said tube, including a mounting board, means having an orifice disposed ilush with the face of said board and connected to the bottom of said tube, said tube having an aperture near the top thereof, a float disposed in said tube, means associated with said oat to engage frictionally the inner Walls of said tube normally to prevent the float from descending, while permitting it to rise in the tube, means including a scale associated with said tube for determining different elevations of said oat and of a column of liquid in said tube, and a perforated Wall removably disposed between said orice and said tube.

MARJEN H. COLLET. 

